Thinking harmless

1568: 

Vegans hold to principles concerning the use of animals and eating them, but some of us don’t apply them to our relations with each other. Veganism must embrace a comprehensive view of non-violence.

It’s easy to dislike uncaring people, but that probably includes almost every human, when you think how uncaring every animal-eater must be. It would seem futile to morally disapprove of everyone. My own moral judgement is a case in question by disapproving of those who spend their money supporting the very people who directly attack animals. So the question is, am I capable of harmlessness (thinking-without-aggression) as well as being non-judgemental?

         

If we are trying to set a standard for non-violence, we surely have to be more generous with our judgements, without being a Polly Anna. It means looking for the best in people and giving them the benefit of the doubt, whilst not necessarily okaying what they actually do.

         

We surely have to separate the deed from the person. And then we might be better able to investigate what makes people tick. I often (so often!) ask myself why so many people aren’t concerned about ‘the animal problem’, and why they aren’t impatient to become vegan. I want to put my fellow humans under the microscope, to find out why they don’t protest at the routine killing of creatures, and why they are, in fact, enthusiastic supporters of it, or rather the end products of the whole shabby business. I realise that many people have never given it much thought. I realise many people don’t know what’s really going on. But I also realise that many people do know and refuse to budge. It's difficult to understand how their minds work, and therefore it’s easy to be judgemental. So, they provide the best test for people like me, who are trying to keep up some level of harmlessness-thinking.